Food & Dining

If you’re one of those who grab coffee to increase your productivity at work, you might want to consider changing that to tea instead. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s tea master David De Candia revealed to us at the launch of Paradise Blend, his exclusive tea for the Philippines, that this healthy caffeine alternative can do wonders to your mind and body. The Ceylon Tea Ambassador of Sri Lanka got three reasons, to be exact, on why you should include it in your daily routine.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's tea master David De Candia at the launch of Paradise Blend

1. The type of caffeine in tea is different from that in coffee. Coffee affects you physiologically that could later make you crash, while tea affects you neurologically, which allows you to multitask for a much longer time period. “If I have a choice between going up and crashing and being more steady throughout the day, being able to talk and do work, I would rather have tea,” he tells ABS-CBN Lifestyle. The reason why monks choose tea over coffee, he adds, is that it’s more effective in keeping them awake especially in meditation.

2. Tea is good for your teeth. “Tea is a natural cavity preventative,” says David. It inhibits the build-up of plaque that could bring about tooth decay and gum disease due to the compounds it contains such as antioxidants and polyphenols.

3. Tea lowers bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol in your body. The tea master shares, “It cuts down on a lot of fat that’s why in China, people drink tea after having a heavy meal to help cleanse their system.”